


Au Seuil de L'ombre, Tu Valses.

by bombed_reverie



Category: Inception (2010) RPF
Genre: M/M, cirque du soleil au, dancer!joe, director!tom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-06
Updated: 2013-05-04
Packaged: 2017-12-07 16:21:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/750519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bombed_reverie/pseuds/bombed_reverie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joe is a gymnast and dancer who gets hired for Cirque Du Soleil's show 'Quidam'. What he doesn't expect is the director to be amazing and an equal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Cirque Du Soleil's Quidam, Joseph Gordon-Levitt or Tom Hardy. I am merely borrowing them. It's rated the way it is because it will eventually end up there. Title is from the song 'Quidam', and it translates to: "At the edge of the shadow, you dance." I proofread everything, but it isn't beta'd, but if you find a mistake, please let me know and I'll fix it. :)
> 
> [My Tumblr](jesusmaryandjosephgordon-levitt.tumblr.com)

Joe doesn’t know why he sent Cirque Du Soleil a copy of his performance in the artistic gymnastics category and the dancers’ category, but someone - he’s pretty sure it was Ellen - had dared him to do it one drunken night, and the next night, he found himself in front of a camera doing two separate videos showing his talents.

He’s always wanted to be a part of the growing phenomena that was Cirque Du Soleil, and despite everyone continuously telling him to try out, he never thought he was good enough. The eighteen years spent doing gymnastics and dancing, the countless opportunities to dance professionally, and the multiple offers from other franchises were just a testament to his abilities.

So when he got a call from one of the talent scouts, Charlotte, asking him to fly out to Ontario to meet the director of the show and discuss possible employment opportunities, he just about broke Ellen’s neck when he hugged her and told her the good news. He booked a flight the following evening and found himself standing in front of the director of one of the touring shows’ desk.

The man was undeniably attractive. Full soft lips, broad shoulders, short hair. He was not what Joe expected for a director of a circus. He leans over and whispers something in Charlotte’s ear. She nods and walks out of the office without another word.

“Now, Joseph,” he says, “is it?”

Joe nods. “You can call me Joe.”

“I rather like Joseph,” he remarks. “But if you prefer I call you Joe.”

Joe shakes his head and says, “I don’t care what you call me, sir.”

The man smiles and says, “You don’t have to call me sir. Tom is fine. Have a seat.”  
Joe sits down, a tad bit wobbly, and looks at Tom. He silently curses himself for not shaking the other man’s hand but at the moment, all he can do is stare at Tom.

“Charlotte has shown me your tapes,” Tom says, “and I must say, you are quite the performer. You put your heart and soul into every move, every emotion perfectly executed and written on your face. It was breathtaking to watch the fifteen minutes of actual performance of the tape.”

“Thank you,” Joe says, putting his hand in his lap.

“However, I think your strength is in gymnastics,” Tom says. “In our most recent show, we have an act that involves lithe performers being thrown in the air and landing on other performers. I think you’d be perfect for the person being on top, being thrown, and of course, your dancing abilities would not go to waste either.”

Tom leans over, opening a drawer, and pulls out a stack of papers. “If you want, take this with you. Read it over tonight and if you want to be a part of Quidam, sign it and show up to the workshop Thursday morning at 8 am.”

“Do I bring this back to you before hand?” Joe asks.

“You can,” Tom replies. “Charlotte will be in tomorrow and I will be at the workshop Thursday morning.”

“Is Charlotte-“

“My assistant? Yes. You are quite lucky to have sent in your tapes when you did, Joe. Any later and we might have overlooked you.”

Joe is taken aback at the comment and opens his mouth, when Tom adds, “For this show, at least. I think you will shine in Quidam and if it pans out, we could use you for different shows as well.”

“So you’re offering me a job?”

Tom chuckles. “Yes, darling, I’m offering you a part on Quidam. Now, I believe Charlotte has your number, correct?”

“Yes.”

“I will have her forward you mine in case you have any questions,” Tom says. “If you decide to do it, you will have to move here permanently. The workshop is just a get to know your fellow performers gig, but you will have to be here by the end of the month. Is that a problem?”

Joe shakes his head. “Shouldn’t be.”

“Alright,” Tom says. “Now go on, you’ve got a lot of work to do between now and Thursday.”

Joe stands and looks at Tom. Tom is staring at him intently and Joe says, “Thank you so much for the opportunity.”

“You don’t have the job just yet,” Tom says, smiling. “But you’ve got 99% of it.”

Joe laughs and nods, before walking out of the room. He passes by Charlotte, who stops him and takes him into her own office. She grabs a sticky note and writes a number down, handing it to him.

“That’s Tom’s number,” she says. “Don’t hesitate to call him or text him with questions about the contract. He’d rather you ask it before Thursday than to waste time on Thursday answering silly questions.”

Joe takes the sticky note and shoves it into his pocket. “Thanks.”

“Anytime. It’s good to have you on the team, Joe,” Charlotte says, smiling.

She all but pushes him out of her own office and Joe stumbles, confused. He hadn’t said yes yet. Why was she saying that? Joe shakes his head, taking his phone out, and dials Ellen’s number on his way back to the hotel.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe meets some of his fellow performers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long. Exams and life and lack of muse has been the reason. Hopefully the next one won't be such a long wait.

Joe goes into the training center, a large gymnastics gym with some name that he cannot pronounce for the life of him, with the contract in hand. After a long and heated discussion with Ellen, he decided that it would be stupid of him to pass this up.

This was his dream.

He sees a group of athletes sitting in a large group, all quiet and eyes fixed on Charlotte, who is saying something. The door shuts behind him and the group looks at him. Charlotte turns and smiles, waving him over.

“Oh good, you’re here!”

“Am I late?” Joe asks, inching closer and closer to her.

“No! You still have about fifteen minutes before you’re late,” Charlotte says. When he gets to her, she wraps her arm around his shoulder and says, “Alright guys, this is Joe. He’s our new addition.”

“I haven’t-“

“He’s going to be a part the Banquine act,” Charlotte says. She points over to a small group in the back. “That’s them. It’s not all of them; the other half will be here when we start training in a few weeks. But they are the new recruits, if you’d like to join them.”

Joe nods, handing her his signed contract, and makes his way towards the back of the group. The four other athletes, a petite girl and three men twice his size smile and make room for him. Joe gets comfortable and he hears the door open, eyes following Tom as he walks into the room.

“Good morning, everyone,” Tom says, stepping next to Charlotte. “I am assuming you’ve all done your homework.”

A collective ‘yes’ echoes through the room. Tom looks at Charlotte and she begins going around the room, grabbing the contracts from the performers. Joe hands her his and places his hands on his lap, trying not to stare at Tom. He’s standing in a wide stance, arms crossed in front of his chest, eyes trained on the group in front of him. There’s a trace of muscles under the plaid button up shirt he’s wearing and Joe finds himself thinking about how he got those muscles.

“Now,” Tom begins, “I am excited to have you guys as part of the team. Actual training will begin in four weeks, that way you can officially move up here for the duration of training. I would recommend rooming up with the people in your groups.” He pauses and adds, “I know some have more than three people in a group, but I’m pretty sure you can find flats big enough to fit two to a room if you want. Or, split into groups of three and find a place that way.”

“If you find that you are having trouble finding a place or that you are the odd man out, or hell, if you don’t like living with people, you all have my number,” Tom continues. “I will help in any way possible. The first day of training will be informational at the beginning, with everyone doing a few trust exercises and then beginning to work on the routines. It will be grueling and taxing, but if you work hard, it will be rewarding.”

Joe tries not to smile. Hard work is what he’s good at, difficult routines is what he is excellent at. He also knows that he is going to have to trust his fellow performers in a way he’s never had to before, and that frightens him.

“Any questions?” Tom asks.

Joe shakes his head along with the group and Charlotte says, “Then you guys may go. Don’t hesitate to call one of us if something comes up.”

Tom nods. “I’ll see you all in about a month. Now, get out of here.”

Joe stays on the ground as everyone stands in unison and once they are all standing, he gets up, wiping off his jeans. He glances around at everyone, staying behind as they talk to their individual groups, when one of his group members, a small girl named Jules, grabs his arm and leads him over to where his is.

“I’m Jules,” she says on their way over. “I’m one of the dancers that you guys get to throw around.”

Joe looks her up and down, knowing that it’s because of her size that they’d be able to throw her around. She leads him up into the circle of eight, seven men and one other girl besides themselves, and smiles.

“This is Joe,” she states, before going around and introducing everyone. He tries hard to match names and faces, but they all look the same and have similar names that it’s hard. 

He remembers Jules and Zooey’s name, since they are the only two girls in the group, but he’s never been good at names.

“Where are you from, Joe?” Zooey asks.

“California,” Joe replies, “but I’m living in NYC with a good friend at the moment.”

“How long are you in town for before the final move?” one of the guys – Max he believes – says.

“Another day or so,” Joe replies. “I have to talk to my roommate and see if she’ll be okay living by herself for the rest of the lease or if she’s got someone in mind to move in. I’m pretty sure she can find someone, but I just don’t want to leave her hanging, ya know?”

Max nods. “I understand. I’ve got to do the same out in LA. You want to room together? I think a couple of the guys are doing four to a place and then Andy and TK are rooming together, and the girls are rooming together. I’m a good roommate.”

“Sure.”

“Great,” Max says, “let me get your number and then maybe meet up when you come back?”

“I’ll probably be back within the week or so,” Joe says. “How long are you here for?”

“A few more days,” Max says. “I can start the hunt and send you pictures of potential contenders and then go from there?”

“That works,” Joe says and he tilts his head up when he hears his name. He looks over his shoulder and sees Tom beckoning him over. “You’ve got your phone?” Max nods. “Okay, here’s my number.” Max types in his phone number and calls Joe from his phone. “Got it.”

“I’ll text you later and we’ll talk details.” 

Joe nods. “It was good to meet you.”

Max smiles as Joe walks towards Tom. He hears the other athletes walk out of the gym and he realizes that it’s just him and Tom, and maybe a couple of others. Tom crosses his arms across his chest and Joe stares at the way the shirt is stretched tight over his biceps. Tom is smiling when Joe meets him and his heart begins to hammer in his chest.

“How do you feel?” Tom asks.

“What?”

“I know this is your first big company,” Tom says, “and I know that these first few meetings and trainings can be overwhelming. I just want to make sure you won’t have a break while you’re here and bolt.”

Joe’s eyes widen. “I don’t plan on leaving while I’m here.”

Tom laughs and says, “I’ve heard quite a handful of people say the same thing, darling, but they still left in the middle of the tour.”

“What happened?”

“Stress. Panic. Stage fright,” Tom replies. “It happens. We had to adjust the groups a tad, some performers were unable to perform due to these cuts, but we made it.”

Joe nods. “I won’t be leaving any time soon. My best friend will murder me.”

“Right,” Tom says, chuckling. “Did you find a roommate?”

“Yeah, Max I think his name is,” Joe says. “I think he and I are going to go apartment shopping sometime within the next few days. I just have to call Ellen and talk logistics with her.”

“Ellen?”

“The reason I’m here,” Joe says. “Her and her boyfriend dared me to send in a tape. She’s also my pesky roommate who lives full time in New York while I try to find my big break.”

“Is this it then?”

Joe cocks his head. “What?”

“Your big break. Is this it?”

“Yeah, I think it is.”

Tom smiles, crooked and gorgeous. “I’m glad I could give you the opportunity. Now get out of here, darling. I’ll see you next month.”


End file.
